Beautiful wood, but... (Seen on Gunbroker)

[icebear]

This custom L46 is on Gunbroker. Barreled action looks OK, and the stock has fantastic wood. However, it's got that look from the 50's and 60's with the exaggerated cheekpiece and pistol grip, and oddly shaped forend. And why does anybody put a recoil pad on a .222 anyway? That wood is fantastic and the opening price is right, but I just can't bring myself to bid on it.
https://www.gunbroker.com/item/841516918

 

[paulsonconstruction]

The wood has some nice figure, but the overall shape & appearance is rather gaudy, IMHO. There will be classier ones come up that your money can be better spent on.

 

[RifleNutPPC]

Yeah, see what you mean. Did you see that A1 Deluxe 17 Remington NIB on Gunbroker that had a buy it now price of $1995 and starting bid of $1625? Had box and was unfired. It ended last night, a very lovely gun. I should have grabbed it....

 

[icebear]

The wood has some nice figure, but the overall shape & appearance is rather gaudy, IMHO. There will be classier ones come up that your money can be better spent on.

We are in agreement on that. I like custom rifles, but my taste runs to conservative, classic stock design. I once bought an FN-Sako in .300 H&H with a rather silly-looking custom stock on it, and rather than spend the money for a replacement top-grade custom stock or an original, I reshaped that one into a sort of a cross between a classic American style and a humpbacked Bavarian style. Looks pretty good, fits me perfectly, and all it cost me was time and the price of a Pachmayr recoil pad.

 

[bigcountry4me]

The wood has some nice figure, but the overall shape & appearance is rather gaudy, IMHO. There will be classier ones come up that your money can be better spent on.

Although I’m personally not interested if it could be bought right, it could be a really nice stock to re-work.

 

[stonecreek]

Icee: You should buy it. Like wide/narrow ties, white sidewall tires, and pastel-colored toilets, this style may come back into vogue someday. They tell me that Gen-Xer's are buying up all of the Danish Modern furniture from the 60's, so it might be a really valuable piece in another 10 years.

 

[icebear]

Icee: You should buy it. Like wide/narrow ties, white sidewall tires, and pastel-colored toilets, this style may come back into vogue someday. They tell me that Gen-Xer's are buying up all of the Danish Modern furniture from the 60's, so it might be a really valuable piece in another 10 years.

An interesting thought, but with a couple of problems. First, I have to look at the thing for ten years until it comes back into fashion. Second, am I going to live long enough to make money on the deal. Third, am I likely to make enough on the deal in ten years to justify having it clutter up my safe for that length of time.

I happen to be a fan of mid-century modern design (MCM to the cognoscenti). I have a collection of MCM glassware, mostly from Finland, and my good china (used for entertaining when I was in the diplomatic service) is Suomi by Tapio Wirkkala. We just had our annual mid-century modern festival in Tucson, and I bought a few small items (wine glasses and a candelabra). Up in Phoenix they have a shopping district with several antique shops specializing in MCM. The attraction of MCM is the same as that of the classic American rifle stock - a simple, unadorned shape that shows off the wood grain or metal finish to best advantage. My favorite phrase in describing MCM/Scandinavian design is "The shape is the statement." The excessive elaboration of cheekpiece, pistol grip, fore-end, etc. of the Weatherby-era custom stocks is directly counter to the MCM aesthetic. For the same reason, I loathe fleur-de-lis and skip-line checkering.

Danish Modern was my first furniture after getting out of college and getting a decent job. I got a bit tired of looking at teak veneer, but the aesthetic of simple lines to show off the grain of the wood has stuck with me all my life. It is in the front of my consciousness when I am crafting a stock or pistol grips.

 

[icebear]

The rifle finally sold for the minimum bid of $875, after at least one relisting. That was a gorgeous piece of wood; I'd have grabbed the gun in a heartbeat if it had been a classic stock design without all the curlicues.